


Trooper Time

by typoking1107



Series: Forging Bonds [2]
Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-09
Updated: 2018-06-09
Packaged: 2019-05-19 22:45:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14882636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/typoking1107/pseuds/typoking1107
Summary: A collection of oneshots and drabbles related to my fic "Forging Bonds"





	1. Jiren Plays Cards

**Author's Note:**

> One month ago I posted "Forging Bonds". Now, I give you "Trooper Time" a collection of oneshots and drabbles set before, during, and after it.
> 
> Note that these will not necessarily be in chronological order.

If you had told Jiren before the Tournament of Power that he would be roped into a card game against one of his teammates, he probably would have glared at you and walked off without a word. For that matter, if you had told him _thirty minutes ago_ that he’d be roped into a card game against one of his teammates, he’d have glared at you and walked off without a word. In fact, when Dyspo had approached him to suggest it that was exactly what he’d done. Well, what he’d _tried_ to do at any rate. Dyspo was rather persistent. After five minutes of the speedster trying and failing horribly to drag an unmoving Jiren to the lounge, Jiren had finally relented, if for no other reason than they were starting to get weird looks from the other Troopers.

So here he was, sitting down at one end of a table in the lounge with Kettol sitting at the other. Vuon, Zoiray, and Dyspo were all sitting off to the side, with Zoiray shuffling a deck of cards. Jiren sighed and glared at a discolored ring on the tabletop, probably left there by someone not using a coaster for their drink. This was immensely stupid. He had far better things to do than indulge his teammates’ obsessive and futile quest to defeat Kettol at cards (even if he suspected that Dyspo’s real motive was trying to help Jiren befriend his fellow Troopers). He could be on patrol right now- wait, scratch that, today was his (mandatory) day off. Well he could be training, the Tournament of Power was just last week after all, and Jiren knew he needed to improve if we was going to challenge Son Goku again… except the training room was still undergoing repairs after a recruit blew himself up while the shields were down (he’d live, but there was a massive crater in the middle of the room) and there wasn’t anywhere else on the planet Jiren could go without risking collateral damage. There was always meditation of course… except Toppo had expressly forbid Jiren from spending the whole day meditating again and had even threatened to assign him to work for the quartermaster for a week if he didn’t comply. (Jiren was many things, but foolish was not one of them. The Pride Troopers’ quartermaster was a nightmare to work for. There even were rumors that she’d once bitten off a man’s kneecaps because he didn’t store things away correctly.) Okay, so Jiren _didn’t_ have anything better to do except stand in a corner and sulk, but that wasn’t the point. The point was that he didn’t want to do this and was grumpy about it.

Zoiray finished shuffling and dealt out five cards to both Jiren and Kettol, placed the deck in the center of the table, drew two cards from the top, and placed them face down, flipping over one of them to reveal a two. “The rules are simple,” Kettol explained “The goal is to try get the sum total of the cards on our sides of the table and the cards in the center as close to twenty as we can using the five cards we have in our hands. You can place down as many cards as you want, or even none. Then, another card is drawn from the deck and we add its number to our cards as well. After that, whoever’s sum is closest to twenty wins the round. Then, we discard all of the cards we played on the table and draw until we have five in our hand again, and we start the next round. Its best of three rounds. If we both end up with sums an equal distance from twenty, we put all the cards used back into the deck, reshuffle, and redo the round.” Kettol shrugged “The trick is to try and make sure that you sum total before the second center card is revealed isn’t too low or too high. Understand?”

Jiren nodded, staring down at his cards “It is essentially a game of chance.”

Kettol eyes twinkled “Only when you play poorly.”

Jiren’s brows furrowed, but he didn’t press the matter. “Shall we start?”

Kettol nodded “Sure, set the cards you want to use face down on the table and once you’ve finished put your hand on top of them. After the second center card is revealed we’ll flip our cards over and compare.”

Jiren stared down at his cards, he had a five, a ten, a three, an eight, and another three. Deciding to start simply, Jiren only placed down the ten. Interestingly, Kettol placed down all but one card. Zoiray flipped the second center card over, revealing a nine. Jiren noted with some small satisfaction, that he now had a sum of nineteen, meaning Kettol would have to have either the same number or a twenty-one in order to tie with him, and only a perfect twenty would allow him to beat Jiren’s total.

Jiren and Kettol revealed their cards, and Dyspo let out a triumphant laugh “Hah! Twenty-one to twenty-five! Jiren wins! I _told you_ he could do it!”

“It’s only the first round, Dyspo.” Vuon pointed out with a roll of his eyes “It’s winning either of the next two that’s important.”

Frowning, Jiren looked across the table at Kettol, and noticed a mischievous glint in the amphibious Trooper’s eyes. In the next round, Jiren ended up with fifteen, while Kettol got twenty-two, giving the round to him, much to Dyspo’s dismay. (“I told you,” Vuon had said.)

It was as they were setting up for the final round that Jiren felt it… a faint, almost undetectable pulse of ki touching his foot. Frowning, Jiren looked up from his cards at Kettol and saw that mischievous twinkle once more in his eyes. Another pulse touched his foot, and another, and another, and another, all in rapid succession for a total of four pulses. Jiren blinked and looked down at his cards, he had a four in his hand. Was Kettol telling him to play it? Why?

“I’m just saying, don’t get too excited.” Vuon was telling Dyspo “This is Jiren’s first game after all. He’ll probably lose. After all, if Zoiray and I, with a _lot_ more experience, can’t beat Kettol, there’s no way a rookie can.”

“And _I’m_ saying the only reason you and short-stuff lose is because you just suck at cards!” Dyspo countered “Jiren will win, and prove once and for all that there’s nothing special about Kettol beating you! No cheats, no tricks, nothing!”

Zoiray, sitting between them, looked like he wanted to stab both of his teammates with his horns.

Jiren felt a dull pang in his chest. Of course, that was why Dyspo brought him here. To prove a point. After all, surely the great Jiren the Grey could be victorious at something as simple as a card game, even if it was his first time playing. This was never about trying to help Jiren forge friendships, as he’d so foolishly thought. Dyspo was simply using him. Truthfully, Jiren couldn’t be mad at Dyspo, the speedster hadn’t actually tried to make Jiren think otherwise, it was his own stupidity that caused him to believe Dyspo’s motives were anything but selfish.

Jiren felt the four ki pulses touch his foot again and made up his mind. _If I am going to be used_ , he thought spitefully, _it might as well be by someone other than Dyspo_. With that, he placed the four face down on the table as Kettol placed two cards down himself.

When they flipped their cards over, Jiren saw that Kettol had placed down a three and a one, giving him the same total as Jiren. Confused, Jiren looked up at Kettol. Did he intend for them to have a draw?

Kettol shrugged “Well, it looks like we have to redo the round.”

Dyspo folded his arms over his chest and shot Vuon a smug look “See, he’s doing well!”

Vuon rolled his eyes “It was a _draw_ you doofus.”

When they were ready to place down their cards again, Jiren felt another series of pulses touch his foot, eleven of them this time. Not entirely sure what Kettol’s game was, Jiren nevertheless placed down a six and a five. This time, while their totals weren’t the same, Jiren and Kettol were both an equal distance away from twenty, once again resulting in a draw.

Vuon’s brows furrowed “Okay… that’s weird.”

“It won’t happen again!” Dyspo said confidently, “Next round, I’m _certain_ Jiren will win!”

Jiren did not win the next round, as, thanks to Kettol’s signaling, it was another tie. Zoiray’s eyebrows shot up as Vuon and Dyspo both gaped in disbelief. “Huh, what are the odds of that happening?”

“Very… small…” Vuon grunted, sitting on the edge of his seat.

It wasn’t until three more draws that Jiren started to see what Kettol was doing. With every draw, Vuon, Zoiray, and Dyspo were getting more and more wound up. It was actually kind of fun, seeing the three of them getting all excited and frustrated over this. Jiren actually found himself smiling at Kettol, who quickly winked back.

For several more rounds this went on, until finally Kettol laid down his hand and said “You know what, I think we should just call this a draw, Jiren. It’s getting pretty late.”

Dyspo, who had been practically vibrating in his seat in anticipation, exploded “ _WHAT_?!”

Vuon jumped to his feet “Y-You can’t just call it _quits_!”

“Come on!” Zoiray chimed in “It was starting to get good!”

Jiren smirked, understanding completely now. Get Vuon, Zoiray, and Dyspo all spooled up and then deny them any sort of closure. Clever… “I agree,” he said, placing his hand down as well. “I think a calling it a draw would be best. That was a good game Kettol.”

“Thank you.” Kettol said, standing up. “Want to go and get something to eat?”

Jiren nodded, getting up to follow his teammate. “Yes, I think I would.”

As he and Kettol left the lounge, Jiren heard Zoiray say “Does anybody else feel like they just got cock-blocked?”


	2. Trust

“Hey Jiren,” Gohan said during one of the very first missions he, Jiren, and Katopesla were sent on together. “I’ve been wondering something.”

“And that is?” Jiren said, surveilling their surroundings for any further threats while Katopesla was taking the criminal they’d been sent to apprehend onto their ship for transport back to base.

“What did you think of my father at the end of the Tournament?” Gohan asked.

Jiren frowned, he had not been expecting that question. “Why do you ask?”

Gohan shrugged “Curiosity mostly.”

Jiren nodded, “Very well.” He paused for a moment, considering his words “Your father was… certainly a worthy opponent.” Jiren looked out towards the horizon “Our fight made me… rethink some things I had long dismissed as irrelevant.”

“You mean friendship.” Gohan said.

Jiren nodded “Yes, for the longest time I believed power to be the sole source of justice in the world.” He sighed “I… was wrong about that. Friendship, loyalty, trust, those things hold a power I had forgotten.” Suddenly, Jiren remembered one particular incident during the finale of the tournament. Awkwardly clearing his throat, Jiren turned to look at Gohan “Um… apologies for trying to kill you and everyone else in the stands by the way.” He said shamefully “I wasn’t… I am not proud of that moment.”

Gohan blinked, clearly taken off-guard by the apology. After a moment however, he smiled “Heh, don’t worry about it. You’re hardly the first person who’s tried to kill me I later befriended, and you probably won’t be the last either.”

Jiren wasn’t entirely sure if that was supposed to be reassuring or not. Regardless, he took is as a cue to let the matter be. Getting back on topic, he said “I was most impressed by the level of trust shown between your father and the warrior Freeza, it is no wonder they were able to beat me, with a friendship that strong.”

Oddly, Gohan’s eyes actually went wide and his jaw dropped “W-wait, Dad and _Freeza_?!”

Jiren nodded. “Yes, they must be great allies and friends to fight so well together.”

For a moment, Gohan just gaped at him, then suddenly, the air was filled with the half-saiyan’s boisterous laughter. “Y-you thought…. HAHAHAHA!” Gohan wheezed out “You thought my dad… HAHA! My dad and _Freeza_ were… HAHAHA! Were _FRIENDS?!_ HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Gohan doubled over in laughter.

Jiren frowned, suddenly feeling very confused “Are… are they not?”

Gohan shook his head, wiping away his tears and trying in vain to rain his laughter in “N-No! Hahaha! They… haha… they _hate_ _each other_! Freeza is my dad’s worst enemy!”

Thinking back on it that actually made a lot of sense considering Freeza’s attitude. Jiren felt embarrassment burning his face and not for the first time was grateful he couldn’t visibly blush. “Oh…” he said sheepishly. “I… I see…” he cringed as Gohan’s laughter continued “Um… forget I said anything…”

Gohan was still chuckling when they got back to base.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't have been the only one who noticed this right?
> 
> This was actually supposed to be in the main story but I forgot to include it.


	3. Gentle Grey Giant

“ _KILL IT_! _KILL IT WITH FIRE_!”

Katopesla stopped in his tracks as he heard terrified shrieking coming from the lounge. He and Gohan had been on their way back to their rooms after a late dinner when the screeching had started. Sharing a concerned look with Gohan, they burst together into the lounge, ready to face whatever horror was attacking the Pride Troopers. What they found was… a small spider-like creature skittering madly around on a tabletop while Kunshi cowered behind a couch and Cocotte tried futilely to squash it while all the other Troopers in the lounge watched with mild interest.

Upon seeing that it was nothing, Katopesla lowered his raised fists and let out a laugh. “My word, Kunshi! You gave me quite the fright! I’d thought you were being attacked by some horrific monster!”

“I _AM_!” Kunshi shrieked, pointing a trembling finger at the spider. “Now hurry up and _kill it_!”

“I’m _trying_!” Cocotte growled as the spider escaped another swat.

Gohan shook his head with a small smile and turned to leave “Right, seeing as this isn’t an emergency, I’m leaving. I’ve got a letter to Videl to finish before bed. See you guys later.”

“Wait! Take me with you!” Kunshi ducked out from behind the couch and raced after Gohan “ _Protect me_!”

With Kunshi gone, Cocotte stopped trying to swat the spider and sat down in a nearby chair. “I give up. Someone else can kill this thing for all I care.”

“Kill what thing?”

Katopesla looked over his shoulder as he saw Jiren step into the lounge. Flashing his teammate a warm smile, Katopesla said “Hey Jiren.”

The grey alien froze in his tracks, shooting the policeman a quick glance and a tense “…Katopesla.” Before walking further into the room.

Katopesla sighed. He and Jiren may have cleared the air about the fact that the grey alien wasn’t actually mad at him, but Katopesla could still tell there was a wall between them. _Give it time, ‘Pesla._

Jiren stepped up to the table and looked down at the little spider scurrying on the table. “I heard screaming. Was it Kunshi or Kettol?”

“Kunshi,” Cocotte supplied curtly. “He ran off to hide behind Gohan.”

“Hm.” Jiren hummed and, to Katopesla’s surprise, reached down and scooped the spider off the table, trapping it within his hands. “I’ll take care of this.”

Wordlessly, Cocotte waved Jiren off, and the grey alien walked past Katopesla out of the lounge. Curious as to what he was doing with the little spider, Katopesla followed Jiren through the halls of the base at a distance, careful to remain hidden. Jiren made his way outside the base and over to one of the bush rows lining the entrance.

Katopesla watched in awe from the doorway as Jiren knelt down and held out his hand to one of the bushes’ branches. “Here you are little one.” He said so softly that Katopesla almost didn’t hear.

The spider-like creature scurried off of Jiren’s hand and onto the branch, vanishing among the leaves. Jiren made no move to stand up, and Katopesla wisely decided to leave before he was spotted. As he made his way back to his quarters, Katopesla thought over what he’d just witnessed. It was strange seeing such tenderness from the normally stoic grey alien, and Katopesla had a sneaking suspicion this was not a side of himself Jiren showed to others very much. The delicacy with which he’d handled the spider was almost… _cute_ in a way. Katopesla felt warmth bloom in his chest at the thought. His uncle had always said you could learn a lot about someone by how they treated the little things around them. If that was the case, then Jiren was a far kinder man than he’d allowed Katopesla to see.

He couldn’t help but wonder what else there was to learn about Jiren…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Forging Bonds" focused almost completely on how Jiren fell for Katopesla, but I realized I never showed just how Katopesla fell for Jiren. So here we get a little insight into what first got Katopesla interested in Jiren.
> 
> (Also I've discovered that writing from Katopesla's perspective is hard as balls. Its gonna take me a while to figure out his voice.)


	4. Letters I

Paparoni,

Sorry my last message was so short. I was too excited to sit still long enough to type out something longer. The Pride Troopers are simply amazing! They’re everything I loved about the police force but with none of the corruption! They’re noble and brave and kind and heroic and I’ve realized I’ve started to ramble a bit but I just can’t help it! This place is fantastic! And guess who they’ve partnered me with: Jiren! _The_ Jiren! I mean, sure he’s barely said a full sentence to me and in our first sparring match I spent the entire time getting batted about like a ragdoll but still! It’s Jiren! The man’s the strongest mortal in all the universes! Who _wouldn’t_ be excited to train with him! Anyways, how has everyone been since I left? I know ‘Liata’s little rascals are probably harassing you as you’re reading this. Be sure to keep them away from the prototypes this time!

Katopesla.

…

Katopesla,

I’m glad to hear things are going well. Everyone is doing fine. Agliata is actually keeping her children out of my hair for once, which is especially nice considering I’ve been preoccupied with our guest from Universe 6. This Magetta is simply fascinating: an organic creature that resembles a machine! What I wouldn’t give to study his race in more detail! Alas, he is rather shy, so I’ve had to content myself with simple observation as he trains with the others. He does seem to get along well with your nieces and nephews.

That reminds me, Orzo came to visit with his family and he wanted me to apologize on their behalf for not being there to see you off. His boys were especially sad about this. Ziti wanted to tell you this in person, but he wants to become a policeman like you one day. (Don’t worry, we’ve still got at least a decade to convince him otherwise.)

Also, Risotto wanted me to remind you that he’s expecting you to bring him back detailed observations on the ki channeling techniques in Universe 11. Honestly, I’m starting to worry about him. He’s still grumpy he wasn’t chosen for the Tournament. I just hope he doesn’t become too obsessed with becoming stronger. I don’t want to say he’s starting to remind me of your mother but… Well, I doubt he’ll ever fall that far, he has too much honor in him for that, but perhaps you should write a letter to him nevertheless. I know you two aren’t as close as you used to be, but hopefully he’ll still listen to you.

Ah, listen to me, getting all melancholy. Apologies for troubling you with this matter. Do not concern yourself too much with what is happening here. Enjoy yourself and make friends. That’s what this Exchange is really about isn’t it? I promise to look after everyone for you.

Paparoni.

…

Paparoni,

There hasn’t been much news since my last letter. I haven’t had the chance to accompany the Pride Troopers on any missions yet unfortunately. My days mostly consist of training and getting to know the others. It is a little frustrating, to be honest, but I understand the delay. Toppo simply wants to be sure I can work with the Troopers effectively. I’m certain things will pick up soon.

Katopesla.

P.S. I’ve attached letters for Risotto, Orzo, and Agliata to this message, would you mind giving these to them for me?

…

Baby Brother,

Paparoni’s busy putting out a fire Magetta accidentally caused (turns out, asking him to demonstrate his heat-generating ability in the lab wasn’t a very bright idea, who knew?), so you’ve got me instead. (Lucky you!) I’m actually a little insulted you hadn’t written to me sooner. You haven’t already forgotten about me have you? The kids are all doing fine, thanks for asking. Maccu is still a little miffed you’re missing her birthday, but I told her you’d make it up to her by bringing back a big present from Universe 11 (sorry, not sorry).

Well, that’s all I’ve got for you. Until next time baby bro!

Agliata.

P.S. By the way, has anyone laughed at you for those lame poses of yours yet? I bet they have.

…

My So-Called “Big” Sister

“Lame poses” huh? [Attached is an image of Katopesla standing in formation with Gohan, Toppo, Kunshi, Vuon, Cocotte, Zoiray, and Kettol, all of them in one of their iconic poses.]

Love,

Only five minutes younger than you.

…

My itty-bitty wee little Baby Brother.

Dork.

Love,

Your significantly cooler Big Sister.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are always appreciated! ;)


End file.
